The United Auto Workers strike against the Ford Truck Plant in Louisville could have negative impacts on the future of the auto industry in Kentucky. That’s according to Dr. Ki-Jung Kim, an assistant professor of Management at Eastern Kentucky University’s College of Business.
“In the very worst case scenario, Ford and other suppliers may consider relocating their plants to different states where union density is low, and unions are less powerful.”
Kim said he doesn’t think that will happen, but the odds of that worst-case scenario will increase if the strike lasts a long time. He said the strike will be a topic of discussion with his students this week.
“I believe that students at the college of business should be knowledgeable on these issues, especially HRM majors. They are really directly dealing with this kind of issues with unions, and unionized workplaces.”
HRM stands for Human Resources Management. Nearly 9 thousand Ford Truck Plant workers went on strike last week. Over the weekend, they were joined on picket lines by some of their co-workers at the Louisville Assembly Plant.
** WEKU is working hard to be a leading source for public service, fact-based journalism. Monthly sustaining donors are the top source of funding for this growing nonprofit news organization. Please join others in your community who support WEKU by making your donation.
